The Americas | iPhonenomics

One phone, many countries

Costly Brazil, dysfunctional Argentina, bureaucratic Mexico. Our correspondents go shopping for the same Apple product

APPLE products are designed to say something about their owners. They also tell you something about the countries in which they are sold. Latin America’s allure as a consumer market was underlined on February 15th, when the technology firm opened its first retail store on the continent, in Rio de Janeiro. Apple wants a bigger slice of the region’s smartphone market, which has been growing faster than any region outside Asia (see chart). But the glass screen of the iPhone 5s, Apple’s flagship smartphone, also reflects Latin America’s economic diversity.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline "One phone, many countries"

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